Montpellier vs Cardiff Blues

MONTPELLIER v CARDIFF BLUES - Saturday 15TH December - 7pm KO

Cardiff Blues

15. Jason Tovey 14.Alex Cuthbert 13. Gavin Evans 12. Dafydd Hewitt 11. Harry Robinson 10. Rhys Patchell 9. Lewis Jones

8 Andries Pretorius (c) 7. Sam Warburton 6. Josh Navidi 5. James Down 4. Lou Reed 3. Benoit Bourrust 2. Rhys Williams 1. Taufa’ao Filise

16. Marc Breeze 17. Sam Hobbs 18. Scott Andrews 19. Macauley Cook 20. Robin Copeland 21. Robert Lewis 22. Gareth Davies 23. Owen Williams



Not available for selection:
Leigh Halfpenny- Severe stinger in match against Australia and is receiving on-going review by specialists

Bradley Davies- Suffered concussion in match against New Zealand. Expected to be back in training on 11 December


Jamie Roberts- Suffered elbow hyperextension in match against Australia and seeing specialist on Wednesday 5th December. Expected back 6 weeks

Andi Kyriacou- Suffered concussion against Ospreys. Expected to be back week leading up to Scarlets or Dragons match4 - 6 weeks

Michael Paterson- Fractured little finger against Ospreys. Surgery Thursday 6 December. As per specialist review but expected back in 4 - 6 weeks

Chris Czeckaj- Foot ligament injury. Surgery to remove pin 13th December, expected back early January

Dan Fish- Suffered shoulder nerve palsy in match against Zebre and seeing specialist. Awaiting results

Tom James- Fractured sesamoid (big toe). Surgery to remove pin on Wednesday 5th December, back 6 weeks post operation.

LONG TERM
Jake Cooper – Woolley right knee ACL injury 4 months
Tom Davies- ACL knee reconstruction this week 4 months


Montpellier

Montpellier: Martin Bustos Moyano, Timoci Nagusa, Matt Carraro, Paul Bosch, Yoan Audrin, Santiago Fernandez, Julien Tomas, Yvan Watremez, Rassie van Vuuren, Juan Figallo, Mickael Demarco, Aliki Fakate, Alexandre Bias, Kelian Galletier, Johnnie Beattie

Replacements: Mickael Ladhuie, Na'ama Leleimalefaga, Barry Fa'amausili, Thibaut Privat, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Eric Escande, Shontayne Hape, Benjamin Thiery

Updated with Montpellier team

Is Trinh-Duc injured ?

I think thats a decent Blues team, they played some good rugby last week, especially considering they were one man down.

Lou Reed and Marc Breeze are late withdrawals, McCauley Cook and Kristian Dacey start.

There go our 2 big forwards left to fight the french pack

Looking forward to seeing Dacey start, Breeze is far from big, and Davies is the big lock not Reed (although he's far bigger and more usefull than Cook.

Now the blues are having to feild young boys from the Academy I'm getting a little more excited!!

Correction, Rhys Williams starts at hooker. Dacey replaces Breeze on the bench (I didn't realise Breeze was on the bench, he has been excellent recently)

In open play Breeze looks great, its the set peice he struggles, and he's too lightweight, although far better than Kyriacou.

Ye I saw Williams was starting, still looking forward to seeing Jones and Patchell, Hewitt and Evans aren't talented but give it some, and Tovey at FB should be interesting, well not really because I saw him stutter there for 2 seasons at the Dragons.

Jones and Patchell worked really well after HT last week.

Rhys Williams and Dacey are hardly strong scrummagers either unfortunately, and Kyricau is proving a waste of money. I would like to see Matthew Rees at the Blues next season to help bring the lads through.

I would like to see changes in the centre, Evans and Hewitt give 100%, but just don't work as a combination. I think we should be playing Allen or O.Williams outside Hewitt or inside Evans.

Lets hope we can actually create a try this week at least.

I like the look of Allen, outside Hewitt would be good!!!

I shall be using this thread mostly to whinge about the Blues, ref, dirty opposition, dumb crowd, the English and of course the state of NH rugby...

HAHAHAHAHA Tobey!!!

Cook and Down in boiler room = we are Frak!!

restart = garbage here we go

Montpellier looking to go from everywhere, could be a chance here for the Blues, or a dicking!!

2 great kicks from Patchell, one unlucky bounce and the second makes up for it!!

ref is telling the Mont captain you can't hold a player up in the air yet he still awards them the pen???!!!

Oh dear here we go again...

ooo ball on line no try, we've been lucky!!!!

Patchell's kicking out of hand is continuing from last week, pity about the place kicking, he should has got the conversion at least.

Looks like cuthbert has just about saved a try, touched down on the touch line

Thought it was a try at first, a 22 dropout is much better

oh Cuthbert you Holly Wilaboobie!!!

Taken back and going dead is the biggest bug bear I have I think!!!!

Out on the full by cuthbert :/. We need to relieve this pressure

over the line again, no way should he be allowed to get back up there!!!

Mont didn't turn up for 5 mins, now we are in for a hiding!!!

urine poor defence.

There goes the lead, and our chances of a sniff, plus they've rested a number of players!!!

Patchell straight out..

WTF is wrong with Welsh rugby???!!? Just don't make unforced errors and your in the game!!!

Mistakes from Patchell too

Patchell 1 from 4!!!

Patchell misses from halfway

2 drops from the 22 and twice mont have had it straight back with no presrue and gone 50 yards +

How about, when you go to tackle someone. You put them on the floor and keep them there. Novel idea I know.

Men against boys, game all but over after 26 minutes!!

Really awful in almost every aspect except in field kicking.

Hewitt in space, Evans in support and hewitt looks the wrong way for the offload - where is the communication in the centres?

wow this is depressing, mont giving us no respect at all, we all know the result is only going one way, and the blues players seem to be going through the motions.

That shot of Davies, leaning back in his chair, drawing pretty pictures looking totally disinterested says it all!!!!

thebluesmancometh wrote:Patchell straight out..

WTF is wrong with Welsh BLUES rugby???!!? Just don't make unforced errors and your in the game!!!

[quote="thebluesmancometh"] mont giving us no respect at all, quote]

Blues,

respect is earned not given

When is Allen going to get a run in the centre. He can't do any worse than Hewitt or Evans who for me, offer literally nothing going forward.

Breadvan

Tell that to RP, Robling, Aled Thomas, and Matthew Morgan who have all missed touch in the last 2 weeks!!!

Bedford

Agree totally, we earnt nothing last week and a weakened Mont team gave us none this week, we are a semi pro team trying to play pro rugby!!

thebluesmancometh wrote:Breadvan

Tell that to RP, Robling, Aled Thomas, and Matthew Morgan who have all missed touch in the last 2 weeks!!!

Shock! Horror! Human beings making mistakes!

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

thebluesmancometh wrote:Breadvan

Tell that to RP, Robling, Aled Thomas, and Matthew Morgan who have all missed touch in the last 2 weeks!!!

Shock! Horror! Human beings making mistakes!

Does that mean that most English,French, Irish and Scot fly halfs are not human? Because I am willing to bet Welsh flyhalfs missed touch more than everyone else in europe combined in the last 2 weeks?!!!

Unforced errors are simply not acceptably, even by Humans!

If you expect not to see unforced errors, you'll be disappointed in every rugby match you ever watch.

Well in that case we can write off the AI's as just being 'human error'?

Maybe we can write off welsh rugby as being more human than most?

Have higher standards mate, don't accept the garbage being served up

I'd rather be realistic than get angry at the inevitable.

Unforced errors are inevitable? And they are realistic?

It's this attitude that ruins the game, I pity you mate

Well they are inevitable. That's the truth. I don't see how the truth can ruin the game, and I'd rather you didn't pity me, thanks all the same.

They are certainly not inevitable, ask any SH poster. Unforced errors are not acceptible, I can kick to touch 100% of the time, and I'm a lock!!! I may not quite get the distance of the pro's but I can nail touch 100% of the time!!!

So you're telling me that southern hemisphere players make no mistakes whatsoever?

Blues fans... Scottish poster in peace.

How did Beattie get on against you lot? I didn't see the game but from most sources he is back to his rampaging best, getting a try and his third MOTM accolade in 8 matches.

Of course mistakes will happen, but for every welsh fly half to make the same mistake within weeks? and so regularly?

If you take Carter as an example, he is near flawless for massive periods of the season, if any welsh fly half doesn't aim for that level of performance he isn't worth putting in the team!!!

Rugger

Beattie was good, but I don't think it's too much to say that against this Blues team it is no indicator of ability. It's like smashing semi pro teams by 100 points in training, looks great but doesn't really mean much!
When the Blues saw ball, kept ball and moved it they looked dangerous, but when they were stranglied which they were a lot their defence was very passive and they leaked like the titanic!!

I'd watch a bit more Top 14 rugby to gauge where Beattie is, but saying that he looked good!

thebluesmancometh wrote:Of course mistakes will happen

That's what I've been saying.